MUST TRY RECIPES OF 2013

Lemon Pickle with olive oil / Naranga Achar 

Rocky Road Squares 

Tandoori Chicken 

Kerala Poori masala

Mutton Ularthiyathu / Mutton dry fry

Uzhunnu vada

Oats Upma

Squid Fry : Thrissur style squid fry 

TANDOORI FISH

How to make pan fried / Oven baked / grilled Tandoori fish?

Marination time : 1 to 5hrs

Cooking time : 30minutes

Ingredients for Restaurant style Tandoori Fish:

King fish / Pomfret / Tilapia fillet : 1/2 kg, cut in to 6 to 8 pieces or ( I used 2 small silver pomfret)

First Marination :

Kashmiri Chilly Powder : 2 tbsp

Lemon Juice : 2 tbsp / Vinegar : 1/2 tbsp

Salt : 1/2 tsp

Second Marination :

Garam Masala : 1 tbsp

Kasoori methi powder : 1 tsp

Cumin powder : 1/2 tsp

Ginger paste : 1 tbsp

Garlic Paste : 1 tbsp

Hung Curd : 1/4 Cup

Fresh cream : 1 tbsp

Mustard oil : 1/2 tbsp

Coriander leaves :1/4 cup, finely chopped

Mint leaves : 10, finely chopped

Red Food color : a pinch (i didn't use)

Method for Restaurant style Tandoori chicken recipe :

1. Put fish in a colander and pat dry(important step) completely. Combine it with the ingredients listed below "First marination" and keep aside for 15 minutes. 

2. Take a small bowl and mix the ingredients under "second marination" using a fork. Apply it on fish pieces and rub well with your hand. Marinate for 1 to 5 hours in refrigerator(do not marinate overnight and do not keep in room temperature more than 1hr).

Baking Method for Tandoori Fish : Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Take a greased vessel(with butter or mustard oil). Fish should be in room temperature before grilling / baking it. Take out the fish pieces from the marination, wiping off the excess marinade (important step) and arrange it on the greased vessel. Cover the vessel with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Now remove the foil from top and bake till the water evaporates. 

Grilling method for Tandoori Fish : Fish should be in room temperature before grilling / baking it. Lightly grease the rack with marinated fish pieces on top of it. Grill for 20 to 25 minutes or until done and turn the sides in every 10 minutes.

Pan Fried Tandoori Fish : Fish should be in room temperature before frying it. Heat refined oil in a non stick pan and fry the fish pieces.

Serving Suggestions : Lemon wedges/ mint chutney/ raitha /naan

GINGER BREAD HOUSE

Happy Christmas Blogger Friends :)

With help of 'Wilton Ginger bread house kit', me and my daughter made this beautiful Ginger bread house. It was a real fun for my kid to assemble and decorate this ginger bread house with pre-baked ginger biscuits.

ROCKY ROAD SQUARES

A Simple Dessert with rich chocolate and marshmallows. I made 3 batches of this yesterday for my husband's colleagues. Its a great snack for kids and an easy picnic dessert.

How to make the best Rocky Road Squares ?

Cooking Time : 5 minutes

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Makes : 24 Squares

Ingredients :

Butter : 113 g / 4 oz / 1/2 Cup, at room temperature 

Good quality dark chocolate (minimum 60% cocoa solids) : 113 g / 4 oz / 3/4 Cup, broken into pieces* 

Good Quality Semi sweet Chocolate : 113 g / 4 oz / 3/4 Cup, broken into pieces*

Almonds / pecans / walnuts : 85g / 3oz / 1/2 Cup, unsalted, Roasted
Honey : 3tbsp

Rich Tea biscuits : 125g, (i used homemade Chocolate chip cookies)

Marshmallows : 100g, (13 large maeshmallows)

Icing sugar / Powdered Sugar for dusting : 1tsp

Notes : 

1. Instead of chocolate bar , You can use Chocolate chips that are used for melting. 

2. I used Mini marshmallows for this recipe. If you have large marshmallows, cut each into 6 pieces and use as mentioned.

Method :

1. Crush together almonds and biscuits. Best way is to transfer Almonds and biscuits into a zip-lock bag / freezer bag and then bash them with a rolling pin. It can be of any size, shape or crumbs. (If you are using a mixer grinder, make sure that you are not making fine powder of it) 

2. In a heavy bottom vessel, add butter, chocolate and honey. Heat in the slowest flame and stir continuously. (Make sure, it is a heavy bottom vessel, else chocolate mixture will stick to the bottom and burn). When the chocolate is completely melted, combine the mixture well and scoop out 1/4 cup of this melted mixture and keep aside.

3. Fold the Almond and biscuit mixture into the melted chocolate mixture in the saucepan, and then add the marshmallows. Stir well for a minute and turn off the flame.

4. Tip into a foil tray (24cm square) or a rectangle pan covered with foil and level it with a spatula. Add the chocolate mixture we kept aside on top of this and level again. Refrigerate for 4hours or overnight. 

5. Cut into 24 Squares and dust with icing sugar by pushing it gently through a tea strainer or small sieve.